


Tell Your Friends

by AmeBot2038



Series: all JATP works [1]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alex is sensitive, Alex' partents love their son, Anxiety, Bisexual Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Coming Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Instagram, Rise by Katy Perry, group hug, new song, rehearsal, tell your friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:35:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27328912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeBot2038/pseuds/AmeBot2038
Summary: There are more than enough moments between Reggie and Luke to let Reggie think if he's as straight as he thought he is. Since he always says: Tell your friends he should take his own advice and tell his friends about his sexuality.
Relationships: Alex & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Flynn & Julie Molina, Ray Molina & Reggie
Series: all JATP works [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2027713
Comments: 4
Kudos: 114





	Tell Your Friends

"How are you even supposed to know who you like?" Reggie asked desperately.  
He sat slumped down in the kitchen of the Molina household, his elbow on the top of the counter and his chin resting on his hand. It was dark outside, already. Julie was out with Flynn, and Luke and Alex were hanging out in the garage. Reggie didn’t feel like keeping them company. He wanted to be left alone. As always, when Reggie needed a moment to himself, he went looking for Ray. Spending time with Julie's dad always helped him. Ray was cooking and, as always, he didn't let anything that Reggie did upset him. Reggie knew that Ray couldn't hear or see him, but he didn't care. He didn't expect anyone to help him. He could only solve this problem on his own.  
"I mean, everyone always tells you to look for a nice girl. Especially if you're part of a rock band. People just expect you to seduce every girl you can get. Okay, we weren't that famous, but we had fans. We had female fans. Even at the first gig at Julie's school, girls looked at me. I should like girls, right? I like girls."  
Reggie sighed and let his head sink to the table. He liked girls. One of Carrie's friends flirted with him at every performance and he had flirted back, although he still didn't know her name. He liked that girl's attention; he liked that girl. When he was still alive, he had also had a girlfriend. Not for long, the boys had been teasing him for weeks about the girl breaking up with him, but he enjoyed the time anyway.  
Reggie had always been sure that he only liked girls. Even when Alex came out of the closet, Reggie hadn’t questioned himself. He had just accepted it and that was it for him. It wasn't until they came back as ghosts that he found himself thinking about boys again and again. It was all Luke's fault. Reggie wasn't into Luke, but he couldn't deny that Luke was attractive and had a stunning personality. At every performance, they would sing into the same microphone at some point and stare into each other's eyes. Then there was the rehearsal when Alex was out with Willie and Reggie was alone with Luke. There was such a relaxed atmosphere between them. Julie called it the bromance that always existed between the three boys. She was right, they were like brothers and they loved each other. Reggie couldn’t imagine life or death without them. He didn't want to imagine it at all. Luckily, they hadn't crossed over, because Reggie was terrified of waking up there without Alex and Luke. He loved them and he knew that they loved him too.

With another sigh he returned to his real problem. Again, the memories in his head were running on repeat. He couldn’t stop thinking about Luke. About this one rehearsal, when he had practically kissed him. Reggie knew that Luke wasn't into him and that was mutual. Reggie didn't think of Luke that way, but Luke's behavior made Reggie wonder if he was into boys too. What would be the big deal? The band would accept him and continue to love him. Reggie knew that. So, why was he still so afraid to admit it? If he was honest with himself, then he already knew that he was bisexual. All he had to do was admit it to himself and who better to help him than Ray?

Reggie sat up in his chair. Ray stood directly opposite him and sliced vegetables while he hummed the latest song from Julie and the Phantoms. For a moment Reggie hesitated, but finally determination gripped him.  
"I think I'm bisexual, Ray."  
Of course, he received absolutely no reaction to his confession, but that didn't bother Reggie much. He was proud of himself that he had said it out loud, nevertheless, as far as you could call it loud. A satisfied grin spread across his lips, and he was just about to continue talking to Ray when he heard the familiar woosh behind him announcing that another ghost had appeared.  
"Hey Reg," Alex said and wrapped his arms around Reggie from behind, making him laugh. "Quality time with Ray again?"  
"Of course. He can't be alone all day," Reggie replied and turned to Alex, who gave him a smile.  
"I wanted to tell you that Luke has an idea for a new song, and we want to play it. “  
"All right, I’m coming. Later, Ray."  
Reggie and Alex left the kitchen and poofed into the studio. Luke sat on the couch bent over his notebook and scribbled something down, deep in concentration. Meanwhile, Julie was also back. She sat next to Luke and was as absorbed in the song as he was. Flynn was sitting on an armchair, her eyes fixed on her phone.  
"Hey, guys. I brought Reggie with me," Alex remarked.  
Julie and Luke raised their eyes and looked at Reggie with a grin. Flynn, of course, didn't notice, but when Julie got up to hug Reggie to greet him, she took her eyes off her phone.  
"Hi, Reggie. We were thinking about creating an Instagram account where we could upload photos and videos from rehearsals and performances. We wanted to practice the new song that Luke and I were working on and film the rehearsal."  
"Just like what your dad did, right?" asked Reggie, who had no idea what an Instagram account was.  
"Yes, exactly. Are you okay with that?"  
"Yeah, sure. Let's get started."

While Julie and Flynn were discussing something for this video, Luke explained the song to him. Reggie was immediately thrilled and couldn't wait to play it.  
A little later, everyone was on their place. Flynn pointed her phone right at the band and nodded her head, whereupon Julie started singing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuNg7BfFQMs  
"I won't just survive  
Oh, you will see me thrive  
Can't write my story  
I'm beyond the archetype  
I won't just conform  
No matter how you shake my core  
'Cause my roots, they run deep, oh."  
The guys jumped in as background singers: "Oh, ye of so little faith.  
They alternated with the next lines:  
"Don't doubt it, don't doubt it  
Victory is in my veins  
I know it, I know it  
And I will not negotiate  
I'll fight it, I'll fight it  
I will transform."

Then the band finally started with the instruments. Alex let his magic work on the drums, Luke played his guitar like an obsessive, while Reggie underlined everything with his bass. Reggie could feel the music rushing through him, but when Julie sang the chorus with her incredible voice and released all the power that was in her, Reggie got ghost bumps again. The song was insane. 

Way too early it was already over again. Despite some uncleanliness and wrong timing in some places, it went really well. Julie turned to Flynn and said, "I hope you enjoyed the video. We are Julie and the Phantoms. “  
"Tell your friends," Reggie added from reflex.  
Everyone had to laugh, but Reggie quickly fell silent again when he thought about his conversation with Ray in the kitchen. He shouldn't just tell someone who couldn't hear or see him. He should also tell his friends, his family. The band would always be there for him, he was sure of that, but still he couldn’t suppress the fear that they would see him with different eyes. Alex's parents were on the verge of sending their son to a conversion camp if he hadn't died first. What if nothing had changed in 25 years? What if people like Alex, people like Reggie were still considered wrong? All of a sudden, Reggie felt like he couldn't breathe, even though he didn't need oxygen at all. Luke grinned euphorically and hugged Julie. Alex also looked overjoyed and fist bumped Reggie. With a forced smile Reggie returned the gesture before he put his bass in its holder.  
"I- I... I think... I...”  
Reggie gave up trying to make a reasonable statement and simply disappeared. Thunderstruck, the other band members stared at the spot where Reggie had just been standing.  
"What happened? Has Reggie a second head or something?" asked Flynn, who already couldn't see the three ghosts anymore.  
No one reacted.  
"What was that?" Luke finally asked. "Was he like this before, Alex?"  
"No, when I found him in the kitchen, he was in a good mood and watching Ray cooking. I would have asked him what was wrong if I had noticed anything."  
"Maybe it's nothing, and he's just back with Dad. I'm gonna check the kitchen," Julie said and was already on her way to the garage door when Luke held her back.  
"Don't bother, I'm faster."  
A moment later he was gone.  
"What's wrong? Say something, Julie. I can't see anything," Flynn demanded.  
"Reggie just disappeared, and we don't know what's going on," Julie explained with concern. "Did you notice anything while filming?"  
Flynn shook her head thoughtfully.  
"He looked like he was having fun. Just like always. Only after the song, he did look as if he had seen a ghost. Pun intended."  
The joke let only a tired smile appear on Julie's lips.  
The singer turned to Alex, who was still standing behind his drums as if petrified.  
"Is today a special day for Reggie? Like Luke's birthday? Anything that might have thrown him off track?" asked Julie, but Alex shook his head.  
"Not that I know of. If it was that important, he would have said something.“  
At that moment Luke reappeared, and everyone looked at him hopefully.  
"I searched every room. No trace."  
Alex and Julie let their heads down again.  
"Now don't get so mad," said Flynn reassuringly, suspecting that Luke hadn't found the bassist. "Maybe he wanted to go somewhere, meet someone or something. It won't be anything bad. “  
"Reggie has never just disappeared before," Julie objected. "He's always here or at the house with my dad and Carlos. He's never been away by himself. Who would he go to? He doesn't know anybody else. “  
"Luke, let's split up. You search the beach. Maybe he is near his former house. I'll check the Orpheum, see if I can find him."  
The ghosts disappeared while Julie and Flynn sat down on the couch. To distract themselves, they picked out the highlights of the video and posted some parts from the rehearsal as reel on Instagram. 

Half an hour later Luke and Alex reappeared just as Julie and Flynn had finished and posted the short video. Without Reggie.  
"Where did he go?" Julie whined. "What if something happened to him? What if Caleb found him? Oh, God. We've gotta get to the Hollywood Ghost Club somehow!"  
"Hey, Julie! Reggie would never go there in a million years. You freed us from Caleb's curse."  
"But Caleb wanted you so badly in his club, he's probably angry and wants revenge for not joining. If he finds Reggie all alone somewhere, he wouldn't hesitate. Oh God!“  
Desperately, Julie buried her face in her hands. Flynn and Luke both put an arm around her shoulders while Alex let himself fall hopelessly into the armchair.  
"Hey, folks," there was a meek voice.  
"Reggie!" everyone shouted at the same time, except Flynn, and rushed towards him to hug him.  
Tightly embraced in their group hug, Reggie finally felt at home. He knew that this was his place, and as long as he had the three around him, he didn't need anything else.  
"Where have you been?" whispered Julie, close to tears of relief.  
"You better tell us what happened. We were worried, man," Luke said.  
"Band meeting?" Alex asked, feeling that something serious was on Reggie's mind. 

As soon as Reggie nodded silently, Julie sent Flynn home before they made themselves comfortable, with everyone crowding in as close as possible around Reggie. He might have been uncomfortable in the past, but now he was just happy to have the most important people in his life (and death) close by.  
"I have something to tell you," Reggie finally whispered. "I'm bisexual."  
Reggie felt Alex's arms around him and pressed him against the drummer.  
"It's different now, you know?" he murmured. "Even two men can marry. You have nothing to worry about. We still love you as we did before, and nothing will ever change that."  
"I know," Reggie whispered back. "I went to your parents' house. They hung up photos of you with a little rainbow flag. When I saw that even your parents had accepted you at some point, I knew I had nothing to be afraid of anymore."  
Alex looked stunned at his friend.  
"They what now?"  
"They did not hate you. It just apparently took them a while to realize that you haven't changed. Too long, but at least now you know that they didn't hate you."  
Another group hug followed. For a long time, the four stood there like that and were just happy to have each other.


End file.
